Diary
by PuzzlePrince
Summary: Shortly after his accident, a nurse gives Vlad a diary.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This is a creepy, psychological thriller. Proceed at your own risk.

* * *

8-7

A nurse handed me this diary and told me to start writing down my thoughts. Said it would be therapeutic. It's really boring here, or I wouldn't have obliged. I don't really care for books you write in that aren't day planners, and I don't really know what to write now that I've had something that isn't a day planner shoved at my current abominable visage. I could start with that, perhaps? Not exactly a nice thing to write about, but I AM in the hospital, thanks to one JACK FENTON (I'll get to him later).

They're calling what I have 'Ecto-Acne'. It could have been boils or mumps or _anything_ _else_ less desecrating to my social image, but nah. Had to have _acne _in its name. I'm not going to be receiving any sympathy from my peers for this one, I bet. My hair is grey, which is totally sucks, and I've got big bulging spots all over my face. It was a pretty nice face, too. The sort of face Maddie might have accepted a date proposal from. What am I gonna do about that now? If I don't get rid of it soon, I'm gonna completely miss my chance!

Augh, Jack. I'm gonna thump him one when I get out of here.

—

10-7

I never wrote about the prototype ghost portal. I told Jack it wouldn't work, and it didn't, and no one is surprised! He didn't even have the correct calculations and he _still_ pressed the activation button. What's Jack going to do without my guidance? He'll be hopeless without me there to direct his operations and stop him from doing things like blasting comrades in the face with ghost funk.

—

11-7

Sixth day in the hospital. Still bored, but the food doesn't taste too bad. They doctors think I could be contagious, so they're not letting me out any time soon.

—

13-7

Jack and Maddie sent me some chocolates and flowers. Attempted to flush the chocolates down the toilet because they're filled with honey and Jack should know by now that I hate honey, but no one but Maddie could have picked out such beautiful flowers. They're sitting on my bedside table now. They make this whole ordeal slightly more tolerable.  
Maybe it's a sign? Maybe there's something between us already, and I just never noticed?

—

14-7

I've been getting really into the whole 'keeping a diary' thing. It's doing me more good than I initially thought it would. Entries are going to be scarce in the future, though; I've finally had my study materials transferred to my room.

—

18-7

I can not BELIEVE Jack made such a stupid mistake. I'm so angry with him I'm not even going to let him into my room when he visits.

—

20-7

Jack hasn't visited, and neither has Maddie. It must be protocol to turn away all visitors because they wouldn't have forgotten about me— I was the greatest asset to our team! I mean, after Maddie. Maddie was the most competent out of the three of us.

—

21-7

'Was'. Past tense. It's for the best that we split up, right? Jack shouldn't be allowed to return to the laboratory, and I have no desire to accompany him if he ever does.

—

24-7

Some treatments have been attempted. They all failed.

I really thought I was going to get out this week, too. It's upsetting me so much, I've been crying all evening I haven't had a good evening, so I've been listening to some past Packers games and sitting in what little memorabilia I've been able to bring from home. Honestly, it would be a lot more enjoyable if I had more than just some lame apathetic nurse to enjoy it with. Not that I miss Jack or anything, but I wish Maddie could visit.

—

25-7

Am I still considered contagious? That might be why. If I'm in quarantine for an entire month I'm going to be hella miserable.

—

27-7

Maybe I should forgive Jack.

—

29-7

Jack managed to get in as a substitute for one of the local games. Forgiveness retracted! I can't believe he did that while I'm here, bored and miserable because of HIS mistake!

—

31-7

The nurses actually strapped me to the bed today because I started yelling at them. I didn't even do anything physical! Was my involuntary spittle considered assault or something? I don't know, but I spent two hours like that until they decided I was calm enough to be released. I can't even remember what I was yelling about.

—

3-8

Why haven't they sent anything else?

—

4-8

I have to include history in this particular document. Great.

—

6-8

All work and no play makes Vlad a dull boy. Thank you Maria Edgeworth for your input.

—

7-8

Bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored so bored man. Saturday nights are when I would go drinking with the troop.

—

8-8

Note to self: there's a nurse named Jennifer here who I really loathe. She's so rude and she never smiles.

—

15-8

I haven't written in here recently. They said they've determined me safe for release, but they can't get rid of the grey hair or acne. After being in here for a month*, I'm just glad to be out.

*turned out not to be the most miserable thing that could happen to me after being strapped to a bed.

—

17-8

Scratch that, I'm not glad. It's been two days, and everything has changed. The bullying has intensified. I get stared at wherever I go, as well as jeered at. I couldn't bring myself to be around Jack, and I don't want Maddie to see me looking as hideous as I do a second time.

—

18-8

They're not allowing me to attend my classes.

—

19-8

My arm fell INTO my table today. Everyone in the study hall kept on giving me sidelong glances and giggling and talking among themselves, and no one wanted to sit near me. With the exception of Jack, but I made every effort to avoid him. Ten minutes in, I realized I really didn't want to be there, and as I thought this, my elbow just fell straight through the table. It was a stupendous sight! But the moment I withdrew my arm, it was solid again. It couldn't pass through the table any more.

I considered the possibility it was a hallucination, but I don't think it was.

—

20-8

I tried it again. I thought really hard about wanting to put my hand through my bedroom floor, and, well. I actually fell through the floor and into the apartment below, where several women and a few men were scantily clad. I was promptly chased out by their screaming and hollering, but the results were worth being labelled a creep.

—

24-8

Upon second thought, the results were NOT worth being labelled a creep. My reputation is at an all new low.

—

25-8

I'm back in the hospital. My ecto-acne flared up again, and I can barely speak now. I think my experiments may have triggered it. I did feel unusually fatigued after falling through the floor, now that I think about it.

—

26-8

[There's a crude drawing of Maddie on this page, surrounded by hearts.]

—

27-8

I melted a plastic cup today. Unsure if it was worth the resulting fatigue. Having difficulty focusing now.

—

28-8

The nurses said I was unconscious for three hours. Won't be trying the cup trick again any time soon.

—

31-8

I have a headache directly behind my eyes.

—

1-9

What if I have some sort of radiation poisoning? I asked the nurses to call a doctor in, but they told me I was to remain in bed and wait until our annual appointment.

This hospital is a disgrace.

—

4-9

Still alive. I've been fasting like crazy for bi-weekly blood tests.

[There's a scribble of his ideal house beneath this text.]

—

6-9

My doctor and I FINALLY met for a discussion. I've been told I'm going to be here a long time for observation, that I won't be leaving the hospital for what will possibly be years. It's not even my choice due to the unique nature of what I've been infected with. They're worried it could eventually come to infect others and turn into an epidemic, or something of that nature, if they don't nip it in the bud now. I'm not as put-off by the idea as I used to be, but years in the hospital? I was at the top of my class! I was moderately popular, with the girl of my dreams as a lab partner! We were going to make our names renowned together! I'm never going to get any of that back!  
And it's all Jack Fenton's fault! He's taken everything from me, and he still had the audacity to try to talk to me during my brief release.  
I loathe that man.

—

8-9

Attempted the cup trick out of boredom. It exploded this time.  
The nurses thought it was some sort of aggressive outburst, so I nearly ended up strapped to the bed again.

I really hate that 'again' there. Do they think me less than human just because I'm ill? God knows why they took up this job, if so.

—

9-9

Accidentally dismantled part of my bed while trying to slide my hand through it. Ended up strapped to a different bed in a different room for the evening.

—

10-9

One of the nurses snuck me cafeteria food as I hadn't eaten since yesterday.  
'Julia'. She's no Maddie, and she's old enough to be my mother, but I like her.

—

11-9

Julia and I spoke at length about football. I'm going have this woman adopt me as her son at this rate.

—

15-9

Every time those nurses come in here they complain about having to wear 'oppressive infection control gear'. Even when I ask them to be quiet about it, I still overhear them muttering about how much they hate having to gear up outside the room. It's not even that much to ask that they just deal with it. They're not the ones infected with this stupid ecto-acne thing!

—

22-9

Things I seem able to do:

Turn intangible.  
Levitate.  
Melt things. Not sure what to call that one.  
My senses seem enhanced, too, now that I've tapped into this unusual powers I have.

I'm exhausted, so I'm going to have to wait a week before I attempt these feats again.

—

2-1

I got caught up in the progression of what I'm now referring to as my 'abilities' and forgot to update this thing. The new year has passed, and I'm still in the hospital. I spent Christmas alone, though Jack and Maddie invited me over for Christmas Eve. I didn't go, primarily because I _couldn't_. Besides, Jack would have been there, and I don't want to be near that lumbering oaf of a man.  
The nurses gave me celebratory egg nog and offered to call my family for me. That was an awkward conversation to have.  
The egg nog wasn't bad. Only thing I enjoyed about the day, actually. The fireworks weren't too bad either, I suppose; I watched them from my window.  
As for my abilities, it turns out I have a whole other form! It's stupendous! Red eyes, turquoise skin, and it has these amazing teeth with fangs. I'm going to need to make a suit to wear while in that form as it looks somewhat ridiculous in a hospital gown.

—

3-1

I managed to use my intangibility to take some chips from a nearby vending machine.

—

4-1

This is amazing. So long as I'm careful, I can get anything I want. I just have to make sure to lock my bathroom and turn on the light each time I go out so the nurses don't suspect my absence.

—

6-1

I regrettably managed to shoot some pink light into the toilet while practicing. It was disgusting, even while flushed. I had to clean the floor with one of my towels and take a shower after.

—

7-1

I blasted a hole in the wall by accident and I'm going to have to pretend I did it with a chair leg to cover for it. I can hear footsteps, so I likely won't be updating for a while.

—

24-1

It took me some time to get my hands on this. I hid it in my mattress and burned the hole shut, so no one suspected it was there, but the bed got transferred elsewhere while my mental state was being reassessed. When I told them I was 'angry about what I was going through', they moved me to the bottom floor of the building, near the the psychiatric ward, to better keep an eye on me. For two weeks they forced me to attend group discussions via video chat, before finally deciding I had come to terms with my 'trauma' enough to return to my usual room.  
Or, well, close to it. I'm in a different room now, and I have a roommate named Kevin. Kevin's in his mid-sixties. He enjoys watching the horse races and talking. He doesn't really talk about anything I'm interested in, however.  
It's going to be difficult to use my abilities (which I have dubbed 'ghost abilities', seeing as they were endowed by the ghost portal, and seem to be powers associated with what we assume ghosts are) with a roommate around, but we have curtains. I'll just take one day every week to pull it across.

—

25-1

I just realized they only have Kevin in this room because Kevin's terminal. I didn't even consent to this! Don't they need my consent for it?

—

28-1

Kevin's gone.

—

1-2

It's taken them a while to get around to telling me I may be free to attend the occasional excursion for long-term patient by mid-year. I've been here for over half a year. It doesn't feel like that long. It feels like I've been blinking through the days. But I've been looking through the dates in this diary, and it really has been over half a year.  
I haven't heard from Maddie and Jack since Christmas Eve.

—

3-2

I forgot my own birthday and I didn't even realize until now.  
Did Jack and Maddie send me gifts? I was near the psych ward at the time. Perhaps they got thrown out.

—

4-2

Maybe they didn't send any at all. That's a possibility.

[A revised drawing of his ideal home. It's now a castle.]

—

5-2

I took some money from the nurse I most dislike. She's down two hundred dollars. I'm going to use this well-deserved theft to pay for some more football memorabilia; there's an important game coming up and I want to be well-dressed for it.

—

7-2

I was initially worried about how this illness would affect future job prospects, but with these abilities, I can have anything I want. I just need to turn invisible and rob a few deserving people. Not really what I envisioned doing in my youth, but I don't have much choice in the matter. I'm not going to live in poverty because of Jack's mistakes.

—

12-2

I thought I'd turn intangible and pay Maddie a visit. She's dating Jack. I almost blasted them into the floor right then and there.  
But I've taken a deep breath and returned here, because there's no way they'll last.

—

13-2

Maddie admires successful men. I can become successful.

—

14-2

I could become a young CEO. Create my own company. Who gives a hoot about what I look like if I'm raking in millions?

—

The diary was a flimsy old thing, dog-eared and bound by peeling leather. Nothing like any other book Vlad owned; he always brought hardback copies of his books, or had one made specifically for himself if there wasn't a hardback version available for purchase, and the books he 'liberated' from the ghost realm (what was the point of their existence if only specters could enjoy their wisdom?) were typically sturdy in design. He turned the flimsy diary over in his hands a few times before the recognition set in, and was immediately surprised that it hadn't been thrown in the trash. The years following his hospitalization had been spent discarding the old to bring in the new, and why the diary ended up being the exception, he wasn't sure. That it randomly appeared at his desk was suspicious, however, so he was wary while handling it.

Once assured it was safe to read, he scanned it from cover to cover. Snorted a little at the naivety in his entries, before becoming progressively angrier as he read each line concerning Jack Fenton; he hadn't seen that hapless fool for what was going on twenty years now. Last he'd heard, he and Maddie had been engaged. He'd ceased concerning himself with them after that, his plan to woo Maddie with his wealth having failed.

He flipped to the middle of the book, examining the picture he had drawn of Maddie surrounded by hearts. 'Madeline Walker + Vlad Master's' was written in the corner. The juvenility of it made him roll his eyes, before he lowered the diary to his desk and pulled out a chair.

To continue writing out his life story didn't seem like a bad idea. It would give him something to do in the quiet of the evenings. He wouldn't do it in his old diary, however; it was too decrepit for what he suspected would be very lengthy entries, and he liked his belongings to have at least a little visual appeal. He would store it away for now, keep it as reference for when he started a biography.

As he pulled out a drawer to slide it inside, he spotted a photo he had some years ago thrown into the drawer out of frustration at receiving an invitation to Jack and Maddie's engagement party. An engagement party he hadn't attended, of course. He picked it up and examined it; it was a photo of a vastly younger Maddie, Jack, and himself, all smiling at the camera, the best of pals. It made his throat clench to see how close Jack was to Maddie in comparison to himself, who had to lean in towards them in order to remain in the photo. His fingers constricted around the frame, near shattering the glass — before he forced himself to calm down and set the frame on his desk, where he proceeded to dissect it and remove the photo.

Perhaps it was finally time to put his plans to test Jack into motion.


	2. Chapter 2

3-14-2004

To begin, I am Vlad Masters, CEO of several corporate empires that produce everything ranging from computers to laboratory equipment. In 1997, I was named 'Man of the Year' by Affluence. I am wealthy, renowned, and at the peak of my success. There are only two things that remain on my agenda: The Green Bay Packers, and Maddie Fenton. I can't acquire the former as they're owned by the city of Green Bay. Maddie, on the other hand, is still a conquest I intend to pursue.

I've arranged to have Jack Fenton visited by some employees of mine. Ones of the specter variety. They're absolute bird brains — quite literally — but I don't have a great deal of faith in Jack's abilities. Best to start with something easy so I don't needlessly waste my resources on that man. Not that I don't have resources to expend, because oh, I most certainly do! But Jack isn't deserving of them.

Results of this exercise should come in within the hour.

An unfortunate update: I'm told the ever elusive Danny Phantom interfered before my twin bird-brains could complete their given task. I'll just have to get more creative, won't I?

—

3-16-2004

A college reunion! I've well and truly outdone myself! I'll lure Jack in and this time, I'll have a first hand view of what a poor match he is for darling Madeline. She'll fall straight into my arms if I play my cards right. I'm sure, with a little prodding, I'll even be able to get her to admit how she really feels about Jack. After all, who could genuinely love someone who RUINS. PEOPLES. LIVES.

Everything will be perfect when I have Maddie. Who needs The Packers when I can finally have the girl of my dreams? This castle will feel so much livelier with additional inhabitants in it. In all honesty, I tire of having no one to talk to but ghosts.

—

3-17-2004

I've arranged to have the invitations sent within the hour, and the set up for the event should be completed before the end of the month. It took me the whole of an evening to get it all planned out, but I'm quite pleased with how quickly I managed to fashion a respectable reunion. The majority of that time was spent thumbing through a phone book, mind.

—

3-21-2004

Coming up to the big day. I'm looking forward to this. The more I think about having visitors, the more apparent it is that this castle really is too empty.

—

3-24-2004

What a wonderful evening I've had! The Fenton's arrived with two children in tow, and I've just uncovered that young Daniel is none other than Danny Phantom. I did find the boy charming upon meeting him, with his interest in my memorabilia and all. There's potential in this boy. And as I'm the only other like him, I feel it's my duty to lead him on a better path than the one he's currently stumbling along; he doesn't need to be like me and spent twenty years of struggling to strengthen his abilities all on his own. With many a catastrophe, I might add.

—

3-25-2004

What a disaster.

Not only was I unable to acquire Maddie's affections, Daniel adamantly refused to be my protégé despite my offering a breadth or knowledge and wisdom. No matter about that, I suppose; I have time to persuade him. But Maddie, I'm going to need to be more forthright with. I may have been too subtle about my interest during the reunion.

Until then, there is work to be done on my public image. I haven't been featured in a magazine in months.

—

3-27-2004

How is it can I spend an entire week golfing and still reap little to no enjoyment from it? These pleasures, well… I suppose they aren't as pleasurable when one is doing them solitarily.

—

3-31-2004

I'm forty. I've been giving that a great deal of thought, as of late. I've achieved so much, acquired a vast wealth and enough yachts to fill a river — but I'm dissatisfied, and have been for some time now. I'm not insatiable, despite what my words may suggest. I want for very little at this point. But I'm forty, and I don't yet have the one thing that would make me happy.

—

4-1-2004

I'm expanding my library. It doesn't have enough of the dystopian genre.

—

4-3-2004

608 237 3193 meeting at 9:45 bring lu

Oh butterbiscuits! Used the wrong book. I'll need to get a new cover for this one so it's easier to distinguish from my day planner.

—

4-5-2004

I baked cinnamon buns earlier and the smell has been lingering all day! Very pleasant.

—

4-6-2004

..Tod

[The sentence abruptly ends. There's nothing else.]

—

4-9-2004

I haven't had much of anything to write as of late.

—

4-20-2004

I'm thrilled to say Maddie and Daniel are on their way to my location as I write this entry. Their plane should be descending in five, four, three, two… and there goes the buzzer!

They're going to love the personalized gift baskets I've prepared for them. Well, perhaps not Daniel, but Madeline, certainly.

Then again, Daniel _is_ a teenager, so he may not be as adverse to the contents as I'm assuming.

—

4-26-2004

For very good reason, it's been a week since my last update. I'm still aching from head to toe after having had my own minions set upon me by my desired protégé, and all the while wearing that fudging Specter Deflector. While I'm pleased with the progression of his competence to some degree, that boy desperately needs to learn to respect his elders, and not set rabid spectral animals on them.

The animals aside, it took me DAYS to rid myself of the Specter Deflector! I was about crawling through my laboratory while trying to develop a key. Strangely, I experienced, uh. Severe movements in certain organs after its removal. I worried for a short while that I would need new kidneys, but the pain seems to have entirely subsided after a few days in bed. Which were necessary, as my legs had taken on the mobility of a jello. I still have scrapes on my knees from how often I fell down.

This would be a good time to begin prioritizing plans that don't involve Daniel and Maddie.

—

4-29-2004

My recent visit to the ghost realm has been very fruitful. I won't divulge my plans just yet, a silence audience though you are, but I may have uncovered something of great value. It's about time I started doing something worthwhile.

—

4-30-2004

I didn't write that. I am doing something worthwhile, and Daniel and Madeline are reasonable priorities. Well, what do you know! I'm delusional in more than one aspect of my life.

Do you think yourself funny, Phantom? Such a juvenile sense of humor.

—

5-1-2004

I've purchased an additional yacht.

Wasting my life away.

Daniel, I tire of these games.

—

5-2-2004

Maddie doesn't love me.

This is your last warning.

—

5-3-2004

I've put some new ghost warding technologies into development, many thanks to a certain echidna haired brat who doesn't know to keep far behind the boundary line. Skulker tells me they'll be constructed within a fortnight. Following that, I'll need to conduct some tests. Easy enough with the numerous willing specters I have at my disposal.

—

5-4-2004

I have one of those state of the art dishwashers. Cleans, dries, and stacks cutlery; all I need to do is set the cutlery on it for collection and put them away. It shorted and flooded the kitchen last night. I've spent the entire day throwing towels down so I can walk through my kitchen without getting my socks wet.

—

5-5-2004

I've decided to adopt a cat and name it Maddie.

What — no! I have specifically stated I would do no such thing! 'Maddie', however…? Not a bad idea, actually. I might just do that. Thank you, my boy.

—

5-6-2004

My sisters cat, I've decided.

_You don't have a sister. You're an only child._

And how would you know that?

_Why don't you give that some thought._

—

5-7-2004

I was mistaken. I sent over a camera; he was in bed at the time of that reply. You are NOT Daniel Fenton. Whoever you are, I suggest you come out before I go looking for you.

_Very good, Vladimir; it only took you a week to finally come to this conclusion._

—

5-8-2004

I demand that you present yourself.

—

5-9-2004

_Are you certain you want me to?_

Oh, absolutely.

—

5-10-2004

How did I end up on my lawn? How did you do it? I have enough alarms and wards in my bedroom to be worthy of safeguarding the royal jewels! I'm going to need to have a word with Skulker.

—

5-11-2004

How did you do it? Tell me. Was it mind control?

_Of sorts. I can give you another demonstration, if you'd like?_

Face. Me.

—

5-12-2004

_Here I come. _

And pray tell, why was having me punch a mirror until it shattered necessary? I have a plethora of cuts on my hand, and no sets of gloves that are comfortable to wear over them.

_Something of a riddle, isn't it, Vladimir!_

—

5-13-2004

What was it, a metaphor?

_You're in possession of more brain matter than first assumed. _

—

5-14-2004

I have no dispute with you. There's no need for us to exchange blows of any sort. We can collaborate on this, _Plasmius_. We've been doing so for years, have we not? Working together to acquire our wealth and fame? Wouldn't you like that to continue unhindered?

_Those were your aspirations, not mine. Watching you flop like a fish on an embankment since fulfilling your material needs has been nothing but a nuisance for me. _

—

5-15-2004

We can come to a mutually beneficial agreement.

_No. It's my turn. You've been at the helm for long enough._

—

5-16-2004

_Dear diary, _

_This will be my first entry of many. I have been dubbed 'Plasmius' by my host, and as I don't find that a disagreeable name, that is what I will be signing beneath these entries._

_I've indulged in some vices on my first day in this body. Basic things. Good food, good drink, and I managed to locate good company despite Vlad's social life being non-existent. I admit to drinking beyond what was appropriate, but it was an enjoyable night nonetheless. I have a splitting headache, but it won't be mine for long._

_Additionally, someone removed my wallet from my unconscious body. A trivial thing. _

_Plasmius._

None of the things you stated are 'vices', or are you just not identifying them? And it isn't 'your' unconscious body. It's _mine_. And excessive drinking is going to damage it, so cease such activities.

—

5-17-2004

_Would you really give up all this power? Enjoy the second splitting headache._

This isn't a spectral body, it has LIMITS.

—

5-18-2004

You've made your point. Cease and desist.

_Say please._

—

5-19-2004

Pl eas e

_Didn't like that, did you?_

—

5-20-2004

_Dear diary,_

_We may be sharing the same body, but Vlad exudes none of the appeal that I do. He's so blatantly his age that it's embarrassing. I, on the other hand, turn heads in a way he could never hope to, and all I had to do was reduce the flamboyancy of my appearance. I went for a brief evening stroll and met a lovely young lady named Rose. We conversed at length, and I was given her number before we parted. I fully intend to call her for a night on the town later this week. _

The hell you will.

_See, this is why you're alone._

—

5-21-2004

My plans are in a state of stagnation, and I don't see them taking motion again any time in the near future. Not until I overcome this recent hurdle.

_They weren't decent plans to begin with. Trust me, I know._

—

5-22-2004

I loathe waking up to this diary every morning.

_Why haven't you thrown it out yet? I have wondered. _

How else am I to ensure you're aware of my grievances? This seems to be the only manner of communication available to us.

_I might be able to access another very soon. Sit tight._

I don't appreciate it when you wake me in the middle of the night to respond to your messages, and I will refuse to answer them in the future.

—

5-24-2004

In my entire library, there is NOTHING on this peculiar occurrence. I've searched every relevant book from title to blurb.

_Is this a roundabout way of asking for a hint?_

—

5-25-2004

What did I say about excessive drinking? I've spent hours trying to scrub the smell out of my beard to no avail!

_I spent twenty years in forced dormancy. Don't whine._

—

5-26-2004

Are you the reason the dishwasher shorted?

_Before I answer that, have you first considered your general incompetence as a possible origin? And stop grinding your teeth. It makes my jaw ache._

—

5-27-2004

This is MY body. This is MY anatomy, and I'll do with it whatever I please. How many times must I repeat this before it penetrates your thick non-existent skull?

You aren't human, Plasmius. You can delude yourself into thinking this is your body as much as it is mine, but you weren't born within it; you were placed inside of it and used for my whims for twenty years. You barely register as being a sentient creature. You're in this body to be USED, and nothing more. But please, continue deluding yourself — it'll only make my eventual silencing of you all the more unpleasant.

—

5-28-2004

Nothing? Touched a nerve, have I?

—

5-29-2004

You're even giving me nights. Wonderful! I should remind you of your place more often.

—

6-1-2004

My plans are back on track. I may yet attain the item mentioned prior to Plasmius' intrusion.

In the mean time, I've provided Miss Valery Grey with much needed equipment. Talented girl. I'm looking forward to seeing just how she uses her new resources and who she uses them on.

—

6-4-2004

_In my absence, you managed to destroy your portal, collapse your castle, and then decided it necessary to set a million dollar bounty on a fourteen year olds head while you steal the Fenton portal. Somehow it didn't cross your mind to send the family elsewhere, as you usually do? Or is this one of those thinly veiled attempts at killing and/or humiliating Jack to acquire Daniel's and Madeline's affections? Which you will never have, by the by._

You're trapped within my body, you don't have absences. You have periods of silence. Why don't you descent into another while I do something far more worthwhile than getting roaringly drunk.

_You're a miserable little bastard who can't comprehend the benefits of a social life because you've never had one, and you never will, at this rate. You're going to fail. _

—

6-7-2004

_What did I tell you. _

I have the key, don't I? Behemoth was a minor setback.

_So you do, after undergoing a humiliating smack down by Jack Fenton. Your indignation was practically palpable. _

—

6-8-2004

_I haven't forgotten what you said to me._

Good.

_You'll regret your audacity._

Do you really want me to regret you more than I already do?

—

Beneath his feet, the ground shimmered and shook as if it were waves reflecting the sun. Vlad frowned down at it, parting his legs a little and squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to orientate himself. When he opened them again, the white landscape beneath him had settled into mild tremors. Tolerable enough, so he lifted his head to survey his surroundings, or lack thereof; the white stretched on as if it were infinite on all sides. There were no shadows and no evidence of walls. There was no shadow beneath himself, either; he stamped his feet on the white, feeling as if he should be plummeting through it. But it held firm, didn't waver nor break or give any other indication of responding to his taken action. For all intents and purposes, it was just a floor. Perhaps there were walls here, too? He would have to be careful not to run into them.

There was no visual change to the landscape as he walked. He'd hoped he would find some means of gauging how far he had traveled if he walked far enough. After several minutes, he decided to remove his jacket and fold it into a neat square, placing it on the ground by his feet. From there, he walked. He continued walking until he felt he had covered enough ground and then looked back, but his jacket had disappeared. He turned in a slow circle, searching for it.

"Looking for this?" The black fabric of his blazer jacket slapped into his face and proceeded to crumple to the ground as he flailed and yelped in surprise. If not for the hands that jerked him forwards, onto the toes of his dress shoes, he likely would have toppled over.

"Hello," his savior greeted, and he tilted his head up and looked straight into arcane red. Plasmius smiled at him, clawed fingers pressing with promise into his forearms.

"Plasmius," he hissed, bringing his hands up to shove Plasmius away. He didn't get far, being vastly weaker than his doppelganger.

"I told you I would find a different means of communication, didn't I," Plasmius murmured, gently constricting his fingers around Vlad's forearms, embedding his claws through the cloth there and into the vulnerable skin. Vlad flinched, now trying to kick at Plasmius' ankles.

"Release me!" he demanded in a voice that was just an octave too high. "I've no desire to interact with you beyond that blasted diary!"

"But there's a _purpose_ to this interaction." An arm was released, claws brought up to his neck. Vlad's skin took on a deathly white pallor as the fingers curled around his throat, around his windpipe, and he quivered like an aspen. "I haven't brought you here to listen to you whine about how 'mean' I am to you."

Vlad inhaled unsteadily. "Going to inflict some regrets as promised, are you?"

"Maybe I'll just kill you," Plasmius replied, smile broadening as panic flashed across Vlad's features.

Vlad swallowed, his words feeling thick and heavy in his throat with uncertainty. He didn't know what would happen if Plasmius was to kill him while they were — presumably — inhabiting his subconscious.

He decided to be tactful about his next question. "I-in here?" he stuttered. "I would remain unaffected where it counts."

"I could induce a heart attack," Plasmius replied.

At that, Vlad let out a relieved chuckle. "And then what would happen to you, hm?" he said slowly, smiling wildly over his gained ground. "Forced to resume your life in the ghost realm, assuming you had one in there at all. Or would you simply dissipate? Enter nihility? You've such a tenuous existence already, do you really want to risk it just to get back at me for being honest with you?"

The flash of fury in those glowing red slits sunk Vlad's momentary victory; he'd said too much. The claws finally curled in, tearing through cloth and flesh and reducing Vlad's words to horrified yells, his struggles to uncoordinated jerking, limbs refusing to push him in the right direction in his panic.

He was on the ground, on his back, screeching in agony as Plasmius clawed into his chest and his collarbones and his sides before he could devise an escape. He lifted his hands to shove the snarling creature away, but it only slapped them aside and pulled him up by the head, slamming his face into the floor repeatedly.

"Shut up! I am alive!" His jaw crunched into the white. "I'm sentient!" His forehead. "I feel, I think, I acknowledge my existence, just like you do!" The side of his skull. His vision was starting to waver, blackening around the edges. "I'm alive! I'm alive! I'm alive!"

This was his subconscious. He wasn't supposed to feel this ripping, blistering agony. He wasn't supposed to be withering and screaming under a figure that possessed no physical body of its own. A cold horror descended on him, the realization he could feel every sensation, feel those claws dipping in to take their pound of flesh as if it were happening in real time, and what would happen if Plasmius decided to do more than just that? The hand in his hair pressed his head down, the teeth of his aggressor latching onto his neck and grinding and tearing through the flesh like an animal ravishing its prey.

The breaths that exited his split, broken lips ended in moans and whimpers, until he finally managed to will his vocal cords into their intended function. "Stop," he rasped, desperate for air and speech all at once, "Can't — too much—"

And just like that, Plasmius had withdrawn. He continued to straddle a shuddering Vlad, panting and growling, arms slick with blood straight up to his forearms. There was enough of it pooling beneath Vlad that Vlad suspected he should have passed out by now. He licked the red off his teeth and slowly brought his head around to look up at Plasmius, who smiled approvingly down at him.

"I'm not human, Vladimir; you have to keep that in mind when you want to get smart with me." The hand removed itself from his hair, massaging his scalp as it did. Praise.

"I-I already knew that, I've stated it myself." There was saliva on his cheek, and he wasn't sure if it was his own or Plasmius'. He wiped it away with his wrist. "But I hadn't known you were quite so animalistic."

Plasmius' scowl returned, and Vlad flinched, turning his good cheek towards the ground to protect what little unmarred flesh he had left.

"Well, yes. I am," Plasmius said, sounding as if he still found the comparison incredibly distasteful. He wiped some blood off Vlad's mouth with his thumb, before brushing the bends of his fingers over an eye puffed shut from trauma. "Do you have any grievances to air?"

Vlad's ego was taking as much a pummeling as his body. He pressed his lips together, fisting his hands out of sight. "…No."

"Then we might actually be able to have a civil conversation." The specter slid lower on his body, down to his knees. "Up."

As much as he hated to oblige, Vlad very slowly rose to his elbows. "Was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about, or was this—" He gestured to the cuts and bruises. "The only reason I'm here?"

"Don't think much of me, do you?" Plasmius chuckled. "It's reasonable for you to dislike me, I know, but I care for you, Vlad. I'm only doing what's best for you."

A hiss whistled past Vlad's teeth. "_This_ is what you consider best for me?"

"You need to learn a little more self-preservation, as well as respect." Plasmius rolled a shoulder. "Besides, your injuries shouldn't feel all too bad right now."

They didn't. The flesh wounds and broken bones that should have had him immobile or unresponsive were little more than a dull throbbing sensation. He touched the tips of his fingers to a wound above his collarbones, pressed the nails in, and it burned as if he were dipping his fingers in candle wax but it didn't hurt nearly as much as it reasonably should have.

"I suppose you're going to provide some sort of unnecessarily unpleasant explanation for this in a minute." Wiping his fingers off on what remained of his shirt, he pulled himself up a little further, trying to pull his legs in towards himself to stand up. Plasmius didn't budge to accommodate the movement, even when he motioned for him to get out of the way.

"Well, since you've suggested it," Plasmius said, and snapped his fingers. A sharp, hot agony flooded bones and crawled its way into his veins, and he went plummeting back to the ground on his side, curled up into the best fetal position he could manage.

And then it was gone, and all that remained was a distant throbbing memory. "This is my domain," Plasmius continued, cupping Vlad's chin and directing his face towards his newly mended flesh. It was shiny, raised, and a soft baby pink. Evidence of bruising had been removed completely. The clothes, on the other hand, were still in tatters and barely managing to cling onto his shoulders, hanging so low Vlad could see more skin than he could fabric. "This is where our minds overlap. A shared room, of sorts, but I — unlike you — have inhabited it long enough to grasp its mechanics."

"Couldn't be that difficult if you managed to figure it out," Vlad murmured, conveniently to himself. He continued to lie on his side, reorganizing his strategy in his mind; if he couldn't defeat Plasmius on a physical battlefield, he would just have to contend with him on a mental one.

_If you want to level the battlefield, you might want to start with not announcing your plans._ The words echoed in his head as if Plasmius had spoken from within his skull.

Vlad gaped at him in shock. "You were able to do that, all this time? Why you fiendish, deceiving little—" A hand covered his still moving lips, muffling him, though he tried desperately to roll his head out from under it.

"I meant it when I said I wasn't going to listen to your whining, Vladimir. But if it's of any comfort to you, I can only do that here." He strengthened his hold, and Vlad eventually conceded out of exhaustion. "Good," Plasmius said once Vlad had fallen limp. He slowly withdrew his hand.

Seeing no point in further argument, Vlad bit his tongue on a wry comment. "I would like to get up, if you don't mind." A simple enough request. Without a 'please' tacked on, yes, but the thought of having to cater to that expectation was too enraging to humor.

Thankfully, Plasmius finally removed himself from his personal bubble, leaving a few feet of distance between them. Vlad awkwardly rolled onto his front, pulling his knees up against his stomach to stabilize his position. A wave of dizziness washed over him as he pulled himself upright, but it quickly subsided after a few fevered blinks. He finally pushed himself up from the floor, feeling awful and fatigued, but grateful to be no longer lying on a hard surface.

He tried to keep his thoughts subdued as best he could, facing Plasmius with as silent a conscious as possible. It wasn't possible to restrain everything, of course, but the worst of his inner dialogue could be pressed in a less provocative direction.

"You've extended enough… wisdom to me tonight, I think. I'll have plenty to reflect on upon waking."

"It's barely been half an hour, and you're already crying the safety word? In a manner of speaking." Much to Vlad's frustration, Plasmius sounded disappointed, as if he were chastising a child. "You'll leave when I want you to leave."

"Since I don't seem to have any choice in the matter, fine," Vlad grumbled. He briefly dipped down to retrieve his jacket, seeing as his shirt was unsalvageable. Another dizzy spell caused him to stumble a step towards Plasmius, who caught him by the shoulders and gently eased him into a stand.

"Careful. We don't want you back on your knees." Plasmius drew him up a little higher, aligning their chests. "Or worse yet, your back."

The grip was soft, deceptively comfortable. Vlad hated that the first he'd ever been touched in such an intimate manner was by the hands of an inhabitant of his own body. It made him feel even worse to know Plasmius would be aware of his silent distraught.

Instead of lingering in embarrassment, he tried to press forward, as he always did, "All the more reason to have me return now." Let him return now, in other words, but he loathed to say it as if he were asking permission.

Plasmius' smile was far too wide. Unpleasant. "And I thought you'd already clued in that you have no choice in the matter."

He slowly pulled his jacket on, detaching himself from Plasmius as he did. "So I did." It was weak and strained and typically he would have the will to give it more volume, but he knew a losing battle when he was part of one.

"So you did." A savoring pause. "Now, stand up a little straighter," Plasmius instructed. He stepped away until the sound of his steps became a distant clack of dress shoes on marble.

The streak of abuse wasn't going to end here, Vlad was sure. He was slow to lift his head, forearm raised in case Plasmius decided he hadn't administered enough 'guidance' yet. He held his chin up high just to prove he wasn't _really_ scared, but no fists came flying towards him, no beams of ectoplasm. Standing in the distance was, well… himself. Not exactly, as he didn't have cropped hair styled into a faux hawk, red eyes, and he most certainly didn't dress as if he were a model. Plasmius looked as if he'd pulled his outfit straight out of a fashion magazine. The long black trench coat and red scarf gave the impression it had been a winter edition. He wouldn't have minded, but the fingerless gloves and combat boots weren't to his level of sophistication.

"Well?" Plasmius' expression was expectant.

Vlad was at a loss for words. Words that wouldn't earn him a right hook to the face, anyway.

Plasmius didn't seem to like that. "This is what you could be, had you any sense of appeal. It would be so much better for us both if you were more like me."

"Volatile and insane, you mean?" Slipped out of his mouth before he could rein it in. He bit his tongue, retreating a step. "I mean this as an observation, not an insult, Plasmius. You've been harassing me since day one. And under the guise of helping me, no less. Why in the world would I want to be like you?"

Plasmius bared his teeth. "Because you're so different, aren't you. Pursuing Daniel despite his adamant refusal. Perusing a woman who will never, ever love a man like you."

"Now you're contradicting yourself — and I'm simply trying to take what I deserve, what I've earned!" Vlad snapped, jerking his arms towards the ground.

"The only reason you want them is to satisfy your own needs. To make yourself happy. Why shouldn't I indulge in the same selfishness? You brought this on yourself. You deserve this."

"Don't try to manipulate me. Our circumstances aren't comparable." Vlad's fists shook.

"Perhaps you can identify it so well because you so often do it yourself?"

"I know _exactly_ what you're doing, and I won't play into it."

"Ah, and I can feel the doubt, despite that. I know, deep down, you're aware neither Daniel nor Maddie will ever come to you voluntarily—"

"Be quiet."

"—So you try, and you try, because you're so afraid of confronting the possibility you really will be alone and miserable for the rest of your life, with naught but a cat for company—"

"Cease talking this instant!"

"—But have you stopped to consider that you have me, now? You don't need to be afraid of letting them go any more, Vlad. You have me, and I have every intention of ironing out your imperfections—"

Vlad let out a sound of exasperation.

"—No matter how hard and painful an exercise you promise it to be. And you'll thank me when we're done. You'll humble yourself, and you'll thank me for breaking you down and constructing something respectable from the pieces. You need me."

His breath caught in his throat. "Oh, God," he choked, suddenly terrified. "You're completely insane."

Furious, Plasmius approached him with his arms held high, preparing to strike, and his vision reddened, blackened. Faded.


	3. Chapter 3

6-9-2004

_I realize it's frightening to be wrong, Vladimir. Especially for someone like you, who has been submerged in their erroneous ways for so long. While I can't empathize, I _can_ sympathize. I'll approach the subject of Maddie and Daniel with gentler hands when next we meet._

—

6-10-2004

_Why you continue to feel you need them when you have me is beyond me, though. They've both spurned you. Daniel several times, in fact. For all your faults, I haven't turned you away, now have I? Granted I don't have much of a choice, but I've taken to helping you instead of ignoring your issues completely._

—

6-11-2004

_I don't like this silence, Vladimir. I don't want to have to resort to something drastic to get a response. _

—

6-12-2004

_Do you ever stop and think that this isn't much fun for me either? Inhabiting a man who is about as receptive to necessary change as a brick wall, who doesn't appreciate anything I do for them, who complains when I try to enjoy myself after TWENTY YEARS of being in hibernation? Do you really think this is a skip in the park for me? I could just take you over and never relinquish control, you know. Have you ever thought about that? _

—

6-13-2004

_I had a good time with Rose because I actually know how to be social with people, unlike certain lonely old fruitloops._

—

6-14-2004

_I know you're trying to find a way to control me, Vladimir. I found the secret compartment. But guess what? It's never going to work. You're never going to be able to put a leash on me._

_I hope those books weren't irreplaceable. I started a bonfire. _

—

6-15-2004

_When I was first unveiled, you asked after a partnership of sorts. Are you still interested in discussing that possibility?_

—

6-16-2004

_I'm trying to be reasonable here._

—

6-16-2004

REASONABLE? YOU ST ABBed me in the hand with a pen. I woke up with a PEN in my han

_You weren't responding._

—

6-16-2004

_You must be very upset about the pen thing if you're still not responding after said pen thing._

—

6-17-2004

The wound won't heal if you rip off the bandages, Plasmius. If you care for this body as much as I, stop this juvenile behavior.

_Finally._

That's all you have to say?

—

6-18-2004

_Now respond to my advice._

Rejected.

_Now respond to my advice, with a little more elaboration._

—

6-18-2004

_Salted the wound. Literally. _

—

6-19-2004

_Tough guy, eh? We'll see how long that lasts._

—

6-20-2004

_Still holding up strong, but my arsenal has yet to find an end._

—

6-21-2004

_Snap._

—

6-21-2004

Maddie and Daniel will never love me. There, does that satisfy you? Don't ever do that again.

_You're being insincere. _

_You think?_

_Don't write in script._

—

6-22-2004

I was trying to convey my sarcasm, you didn't need to wreck my furniture over it.

_it was gaudy furniture _

Oh, please, don't abandon punctuation. I have little enough patience for your antics as it is.

—

6-23-2004

_im_

You're, what?

—

6-24-2004

_I was evicted from your favorite grocery store._

For fudging sake, you're defiling my public image! Does that mean nothing to you? Like it or not, we both have to live under the name 'Vlad Masters', and it's renowned one. You want to live comfortably, don't you?

—

6-25-2004

_We made the front page. And look, they even made a pun out of your name, Vladimir. I never even knew it was possible, hah. _

Is it just me, or are you becoming more horrendously childish as time progresses?

—

6-26-2004

_Dear diary,_

_I purchased a new yacht._

Hypocrite.

—

6-27-2004

Stop. Ripping. Off. The. Bandages. That is not an appropriate manner of expressing you

Oh, why bother.

—

6-30-2004

_You didn't sleep for 34 hours. What are you up to, Vladimir? You might as well come clean before I begin looking for answers. _

You didn't even await an answer before resorting to thinly veiled threats this time.

I'm going ahead with my plan. Nothing especially exciting, considering the sentiments you've expressed of my plans.

—

7-1-2004

_I could buy myself a small continent with these untouched billions._

Don't you dare.

—

7-1-2004

_I could donate it all to charity._

Don't.

—

7-2-2004

_The next time an interviewer asks about you how often you donate to charity, I'm going to reference this._

What is it, exactly, that you're getting out of trying to ruin my life? More so than Jack has already, that is.

—

7-3-2004

_You're reactionary. It's enjoyable._

_I'll stop when you start taking my advice, as you should be. You need me to help you._

—

7-4-2004

I'm going to begin using this diary for its intended purpose. I've had enough of exchanging notes with you.

_Would you prefer the dreams?_

—

7-5-2004

_You really are going through with this ridiculous plan of yours. You know what the worst part is? I could stop you. Easily. It would be absolutely effortless. _

_But if I stop you, you'll never learn, now will you? And lessons are better remembered when they're accompanied by a physical segment. Eventually the stove will burn you too thoroughly for you to want to return to it. But crawl back to me, and I'll nurse you back to health. I promise, Vladimir. I'll be here when you fail._

—

7-8-2004

_When you passed out after having your ass thoroughly trounced by Pariah, it was very tempting to take over. But, I didn't. You'll need to thank me for my generosity later. _

When did you have an extra pocket sewn into my jacket? Lord help me, you're obsessed. Give me two days without having to deal with this thing. Just two days. That's all I need.

—

7-11-2004

_Oh, that was just great! Hilarious! I especially liked the part where you referred to Jack as your 'old chum', and later bristled when asked to help remove his battle suit! Or perhaps the part where you tripped Jack out of childish spite! No, wait! The part where you spotted two unconscious teenagers and immediately concerned yourself with the location of the ring was even better! Oh Vlad, oh, you're an even worse person I could have ever imagined. _

They were perfectly fine. I succeeded in fulfilling my goals, in any case. Defeating a king, turning a knight; ha, I'm so very clever. This also begs the question: how are you aware of what occurred during that event?

_You could easily answer these questions yourself if you gave them more than a moments thought, but I'll give you this one. Quite simply, your 'ghost' form is essentially my body. With considerable effort, I'm able to see what you see._

—

7-11-2004

How much?

_That's my secret._

—

7-12-2004

_There weren't any messages on our phone from Rose. I thought she would have called me back by now._

You've been adding numbers to my phone?

—

7-12-2004

_Which you didn't notice until now, so why complain? _

—

7-13-2004

_So much for using this as a proper diary, hm? Guess you forgot all about that, and rightfully so. _

Thank you for reminding me, Plasmius.

—

7-14-2004

Deaa a_aa _

_don't use it as a diary unless I give you permission, and I don't._

—

7-15-2004

How did you do that? What did you do?

_Applied pressure to the forehead._

—

7-17-2004

There's something wrong with you. Not that such a statement deviates from the norm where your mental state is concerned, but you've been acting very strange since producing that dizzy spell.

—

7-18-2004

the re s vomi t a ll overthe floor why am I

_I didn't feel like being drunk any more. Taking aspirin and going to bed now. We're both sleeping tonight._

—

7-19-2004

Don't force me into shared dreams any more.

_I apologized and I meant it, Vladimir. I crossed a line. You really need to stop dipping your toes into hot waters, though. It's obvious you'll get burned, so why do it?_

—

7-20-2004

Your false assertions and accusations can't go uncontested. Be less insistent about presenting your point of view and we won't have this problem.

_Danny and Maddie will never love you._

—

7-21-2004

_Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. Danny and Maddie will never love you. _

—

7-22-2004

Lies are rather like scratch and sniff stickers; they lose their intended effect after continued use.

—

7-23-2004

_Dear diary,_

_There are exactly 235 stairs in Vlad's house. _

So you're allowed to use this for its intended use, and I'm not? And no, there aren't 235 stairs in my house. You just stated a random number and expected me to believe it, did you?

_You have your own body. You don't need this, you selfish twat._

—

7-24-2004

I see you had a tantrum over our last exchange. This will be the third mirror I've had to replace.

_I don't enjoy being stuck in here, Vladimir. The night is shorter than the day. You don't sleep long enough._

—

7-25-2004

_Would you consider taking medication to extend your sleeping periods?_

Not in your wildest dreams.

_Very poor choice of words, Vladdy._

—

7-26-2004

st

—

7-27-2004

_Regret is a Vlad lettered word._

Your statements are becoming more and more inane.

—

7-28-2004

_Dear diary,_

_I've considered going to the barbers for a haircut, but Vlad would whine if I did, and he whines enough at me for expressing my autonomy as it is. I instead layer my desired appearance over his mediocre one, which isn't ideal, but it does the job; thus far, I've added eight numbers to his contact list. If ever he reorganizes his priorities, they'll be waiting there for him. Being a literal forty year old virgin is just embarrassing, assuming my night activities don't count towards his experience. _

_Speaking of which, I still have yet to hear from Samantha. She seemed upset last I spoke to her. Adultery does break families apart, I suppose, but she really should have known better than to get involved with a public figure. _

So you're simultaneously ruining other peoples lives. Good to know I'm not the only collateral damage of your 'autonomy'. And what do you mean, 'night activities'? I strongly suspect it's a lie, as you only ever off-handedly allude to misuse of my body as a means of provoking me, but if you have been getting up to something I would 'whine' about…? I'd like to be aware so I can make sure you're, at the very least, doing it appropriately. Or we could discuss alternatives.

—

7-29-2004

_You're slowly earning a reputation as being highly promiscuous._

You're slowly earning a reputation as a repugnant liar. I read the paper every morning. There are no such things being written. And as I've started paying off the media, there never will be.

—

7-30-2004

_I'm not a creature of the night, despite what my appearance may suggest. I want to see this place in the light, Vladimir. I tire of the dark._

You don't have much choice in the matter.

—

7-31-2004

_I could feel how very amused you were with throwing that back at me. _

Languishing in it as we speak.

—

8-1-2004

There we go with the dreams again.

—

8-2-2004

_Did I write that or did you? _

Why would you need to ask?

—

8-3-2004

_If you feel a faint pressure in your skull, don't be concerned._

Whatever it is you're doing, stoo-_

—

8-3-2004

_What a lovely morning! Bright and sunny, not a cloud to be seen in the sky. I'm going to ask Jacob if he'd like to go on a trek with me._

You left me to wake among the mountains, next to a man I don't even know! Have the decency to return me to my house, at the very least.

—

8-4-2004

_Jacob's going to wonder why I left now._

I don't care.

—

8-5-2004

_You should get out more, Vladimir. You would enjoy the social scene. _

If I'm to respect your autonomy, you'll have to start respecting mine.

—

8-8-2004

You need to stop this. I'm waking up in places I don't recognize.

—

8-9-2004

I'm fatigued. WE'RE fatigued. You can feel it too, I know. You're overexerting my body and making it impossible for either of us to function. My vision has been spinning for the last half an hour — how am I supposed to get anything done like this? Caffeine tablets aren't enough to substitute sleep.

_The only things you have on the agenda are bemoaning Jack's existence, chasing a fourteen year old boy, and having your affections spurned by Madeline. I should make it so you can never bother them ever again._

—

8-10-2004

No no no no stop destroying my electronics! Those are irreplaceable, and most of them have no relation whatsoever to the Fenton's! This is pointless destruction!

_I really don't care. I'm going to purge the Fenton's from you life and you can scream all you want about it, but I'm not going to stop._

—

8-10-2004

My college workbooks have nothing to do with the Fenton's! Nor do my

_Shhhh._

—

8-11-2004

I found Maddie's toys and collar in the trash. Don't do anything to my cat. I can rename her. Phobey, how does that sound? There, already renamed. Where's Phobey?

_It's too late._

—

8-12-2004

That is ABOMINABLE. you're sick. I'm going to exorcise you from my body.

_Calm down, Vladimir. It didn't feel a thing. I was humane in putting Phobey down._

—

8-13-2004

You're lying to me. Such an obvious lie, at that. I saw the damage. I know what you did to her, and it wasn't in the slightest bit 'humane'. I may be a bad man, but I could have never conceive of being so needlessly cruel to an animal.

_What can I say? Animal instincts. You never seem this concerned when I tear into you. Are you desensitized to it now? _

—

8-14-2004

What was the point of destroying my oven? You used it as well.

_You'll have to go out and shop for a new one now. Get it in black._

They don't have ovens in black.

—

8-14-2004

_No one will believe the Fenton's, of course. Your secret will be otherwise safe._

Plasmius, please don't do this to me. You don't want me to go near them? Then I won't. I'm listening.

—

8-16-2004

_They were never going to accept you anyway, Vladimir. _

I can't believe you did this. I can't believe you did this to me. I can't wrap my head around it.

—

8-17-2004

Whoops, got you banned from another bar.

—

8-18-2004

You've destroyed my public image and all my mementos and equipment. You constantly leave me feeling vague and unable to concentrate. You've succeed; the Fenton's are evicted from my life, and I from theirs. But you're still not stopping. What more do you want? What more is there you can ruin?

_Admit that I'm right about everything. Admit that you need me, and have always needed me. After all I've done for you, I'm not asking for much. _

All you've done for me!? Your efforts to 'fix' me have rid me of everything I held dear! I have _nothing_! I don't even know what to do with myself any more. You've taken _everything_.

—

8-18-2004

_You have those contacts I gathered for you._

Because sleeping around as you presumably do is exactly what I want to do with my life. Pass.

_It would be better than what you were previously doing with it._

—

8-19-2004

I'm hallucinating. You need to let me sleep.

_Are you sure those were hallucinations? If you get a call from Jasmine, tell her I'm busy. _

—

8-20-2004

_Don't even think about responding to Daniel's message. He isn't concerned for you, he's concerned for what your next ploy may be. He's only calling to protect his family. Don't respond and he'll leave us alone. _

—

8-21-2004

It pains me to request his assistance, but it pains me even more so to have to deal wit_-gh do n dig ging dig sna_

Something happened. Something's wrong. I can't figure out what it is you did. You threw out all my phones, but that isn't it. What did you do? Spinning ag_

_Just be quiet, Vladimir. It'll be over soon._

—

8-24-2004

_You need to stop dismissing the things I do for you, Vladimir. You act as if you don't want my help, as if you don't want _me_, but I'm the only person in your life who has ever extended you sympathy or concern or love. I'm the best thing that has ever happened to you, and you still try your damnedest to get rid of me. This is why you're so miserable. You have everything you could ever need at hands reach and you instead direct your attentions to a far off, impossible goal, because you just can't let go even when it's so blatantly obvious you will never succeed. I know you still think about that woman, and you're making it no secret you're still willing to get in contact with Daniel, even when I instruct you to do otherwise. Just when I think I'm getting through to you, you pull a stunt like that. You realize I'm going to have to intervene now, don't you? I've never been much for concocting ridiculous plots, but I think I can come up with something on the fly. Just a little something to dissuade Daniel from attempting an investigation. I'm sure he would, if only to protect the people surrounding you, and not you specifically.  
But before I do this, I want you to know how disappointed I am. You have a body, and consequently, you have a life. I have five to six hours a night, if that. That's all. And yet, I still manage to enjoy my existence more than you have in the past several years. But five to six hours? It isn't truly a life. You can't build a life on such scant hours. Even when I do manage to push you to the recesses of our mind, where I've been for so long, you only ever allow me to linger for a small portion of the day before you claw and scratch and scream your way back into control. I'm tired of the things you do to prevent an extension of the time I spend in the light.  
I don't enjoy this existence. Fighting for control all the time, trying to fix you with no reception. It's frustrating. It hurts me. But you don't care about that, do you? I'm little more than a source of power to you, and that's what I've always been. I've been patient. So patient. I could have dismantled you piece by piece on day one if I had really wanted to, but I was patient, because I believed you would come around on your own eventually. I didn't think I would need to hurt you to get you to listen. I have to hold you down and listen to you whine and scream before you'll even say 'thank you' or 'please' to me. _

_I spent so long envisioning the day I finally got the interact with you, and it's nothing like I expected it to be. You were supposed to appreciate me, Vladimir._

—

8-25-2004

Good god, what was that?

—

8-26-2004

_The ghost child won't be bothering you any longer. He's lucky I didn't maim him, though I did leave some significant scorch marks._

I can't do this any more.

—

8-27-2004

I need to sleep, Plasmius. We need sleep. Neither of us is benefiting from a deteriorating mental state.

_I feel absolutely fine. _

—

8-28-2004

I'm seeing things. Mushrooms in the kitchen, eyes. They feel tangible, but they I'm well aware that they aren't. It's just my sleep deprived mind playing tricks on me.

This should be of concern to you.

—

8-29-2004

I found my phone in the bathtub.

_You can keep that one. I wiped the Fenton's household number from it, and I know you don't memorize these things. _

—

8-30-2004

I'm receiving phone calls from people I don't know, demanding I tell them why I neglected to attend publicity events I certainly don't recall setting up. I don't even have the energy for explanatory discourse. I've hung up on every single one of them.

I'm going to bed. Feed the cat for me.

_Phobey's dead._

—

9-1-2004

Oh god ohg od I ca

_Stop being such a drama queen. It's just a finger. If you hyperventilate, you're going to end up passing out like last time and I'll be stuck bandaging your head. _

—

9-2-2004

I feel like I'm losing my grasp of reality. I've been re-reading this diary and I don't remember writing half the things in it.

I know these absences of memory are the result of something you're doing.

_This is news to me, but you're not wrong about me being the source. Unintentionally, mind. I'll see what I can do to blockade future damage._

I expected that, and yet I'm furious. I won't elaborate seeing as you're about as receptive to my complaints as a brick wall.

_You're learning._

—

9-3-2004

Now that I've given it some thought, it was really you who took Madeline from me. If not for your presence, I would have had a chance.

_Always doing the best of you, even before I was conscious of it. _

—

9-4-2004

She was never going to love me anyway.

I didn't write that. You wrote that.

_Did I? Or have you finally had a moment of clarity? _

—

9-5-2004

I don't want to dream about that, I would never do that to Maddie.

_We both know that's a lie. You're depraved._

—

9-6-2004

I can hear your voice in my head as if we were interacting in the dream space. You're not capable of communicating through thought, but I can hear it. Constant, mindless spiel in the back of my head. I can't decipher a single word you say. It's nonsense English. Constructed to sound like our language, but it isn't. What in the world is happening to me?

_Ignore it. _

It's loud. It's overwhelming.

—

9-7-2004

_You need to eat something. A proper meal. You can't always rely on me to provide our body with the nutrients it needs._

Nothing looks appealing any more.

_Eat something. Even better, drink something. I'm always dehydrated when I take over. _

—

9-8-2004

The voice  
The dream with Maddie is an endless loop, why are you doing this to me? You wanted to rid me of the Fenton's, and they're gone. Why do this to me? I  
This isn't a product of my mind, I wouldn't do this. Not to any living human being. Or non-living.

_So somehow I'm controlling the things YOUR subconscious produces, am I? You need to start taking responsibility for your reprehensible perceptions of that woman. You're sick, Vlad._

—

9-9-2004

Someone help me he  
Help me help  
Help me  
Help

I forgot to buy a new oven.

_Have you thought about having one spray painted? _

—

9-10-2004

Twen ty four ho ur marathon of bran dy  
I m forgetting e very thing excep t the  
Things I want t o regret forget  
is this w hat t you wan ted

_Thank you for leaving me with a splitting headache, now I can't go out like I planned._

—

9-11-2004

Everything is raw and painful I I want things to want to go back to before

_Don't cry, Vladimir. Everything will be okay if you just do what I say. I can make all the heartbreak go away._

okay

—

9-17-2004

_You did so well Vladimir. Don't you feel so much better? You did great. I'm so proud of you. You're going to go far, Vladimir. You have so much ahead of you now._

I did do great, didn't I.

_You did. You really did. Now I'm going to need you to grab the bleach and clean out the bathroom; we can't have that blood staining the floor. _

I can't remember where I store it. Do I have a specific cupboard?

_Laundry room, top shelf. Wear gloves, don't get any of it on our skin._

—

9-20-2004

I've been having the most vivid dreams lately.

—

9-26-2004

The hallways are getting longer and longer, I need to move to a smaller house so I'm able to leave quicker. I have appointments to attend, being the grandiose public figure that I am.

_You haven't left the house in weeks._

—

9-27-2004

Didn't I have a cat once?

_I think maybe you did, but that's not important._

—

9-29-2004

I've been having the most vivid dreams lately.

_So you've said._

I've been having the mos

_Vladimir? Are you alright? Don't cry. You've been crying too much these past few days._

—

9-30-2004

I did something abominable I can't I can't i can't

Oh God everything is wrong

I don't deserve to be alive

_Hush now, Vladimir. Don't do anything rash. What you did was necessary for you to move on with your life. _

–

10-2-2004

_We already had enough blood stains in the bathroom with your half-arsed cleaning and you just had to go ahead and make some more. You didn't really want to die, or you would have done it properly. I've bandaged our neck. Don't try to kill us again, even if your attempt was rather pathetic. _

You're scared. You didn't mean for this to happen, did you?

—

10-3-2004

You can have this body, I don't want it any more. I'm finished. I'm too dizzy and sick and the voice won't stop resonating

_Alright, I admit it. this wasn't what I wanted, and I'm going to fix it. When next you take over, withhold you panic. It's alright. The lady in the bathtub wasn't Maddie, it was merely someone I overlapped with her image. You didn't kill Maddie, it's okay. She's still alive. She's probably having dinner with her son this very moment. It was just Rose. No one's going to come looking for Rose, she didn't have many friends to speak of. You don't need to be afraid of anyone finding out. It's alright, I have everything under control._

You're a liar. Lying to me to protect your own hide. She's gone and it's all your mine your m our fault.

—

10-5-2004

_You're going to develop an alcohol problem if you continue drinking every time you have control. Vladimir, please. _

Now you know what it's like.

—

10-6-2004

I can't distinguish between what's real and what's not, I'm picking up things that aren't there.  
What am I supposed to do with all these rubber bands.

_That isn't the intended purpose of coat hangers. Don't touch anything any more. _

Its in my LEG IT'S IN MY LEG AND I CAN'T TURN INTANGIBLE

—

10-7-2004

squealing just like that

—

10-8-2004

_The damage isn't permanent. Periodically apply an ice pack to the leg and it should be fine._

That explains the bags of ice in the kitchen.

—

10-9-2004

There's an unpleasant odor coming from the drains in the bathroom. I attempted to clean them to uncover the source, but I've been pulling up hair for the past ten minutes. There's an accumulating pile in the sink.

_You aren't pulling up anything, Vlad. You stared at the drain for an hour._

—

10-11-2004

My face disintegrated while I was washing it. Not like it usually does. Came apart, layer by later, until I could see the bones. I don't know if these are hallucinations any more, but it's back to normal now.

—

10-12-2004

_Remain in the house. We don't want a repeat of what happened today. _

I just wanted to purchase some apricots.

_And apparently it was necessary to pass out on them in order to do that? You floated through the stand. You're lucky I took over in enough time to prevent us from going through the floor as well._

—

10-14-2004

Isn't anyone going to help me

_I'm here._

I don't want

—

10-15-2004

You're hurt ing hurting going to leak out through my eye sockets if

_Watch your tongue in the future._

—

10-16-2004

I'm so tired of this vicious circle. We need to do something. We need a change. What do you say to a voyage on one of my various yachts? We can bring along those friends you so like.

_What a wonderful idea! I'll make the arrangements as soon as possible. I'm so glad you're finally coming around to your senses, Vladimir._

—

10-17-2004

I feel so much better today. I cut my hair.

_You cut our hair? In preparation for the voyage…? Should I thank you?_

—

10-18-2004

Today is so much feel better.

_God damn it, Vladimir. Pull it together. You need to be stable if we're to go on the voyage. I can't have you jumping overboard during your time of control._

—

10-19-2004

Today is

Is it April or March?

_The date is at the top of this entry. I've been writing them in for you in advance. _

So it's March.

_I didn't think this would affect your reading comprehension. _

—

10-20-2004

_Did you deliberately ram our head into he corner of a kitchen counter because THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE and I'm very, very upset about this, Vladimir. We didn't need a concussion on top of everything else this body has undergone. _

I tripped. Dizzier than usual lately. Weren't we preparing to go on a voyage? I have yet to pack my bags, but I can throw together some luggage if need be.

_We're postponing that until you're better._

—

10-21-2004

_You didn't trip. I checked. Who's the liar now?_

Still you.

—

10-23-2004

I can't stop crying and I don't know why. This is ridiculous. What sort of man am I to keep on breaking down over minute things? So I broke a dish. That's nothing to cry over. Ridiculous.

_This isn't getting better. I thought you would have recovered by now._

—

10-24-2004

When are we going on the voyage?

_We're postponing that._

—

10-25-2004

I've been sitting in my chair doing nothing for the past three days.

_It's only the twenty fifth._

No it isn't. It's the twenty seventh. Check the calender.

_God, it is. Your insanity is permeating my mind. Vladimir, god, get a hold of yourself. You need to start thinking in the realm of reality before the damage becomes irreparable. _

—

10-28-2004

There's a doctor I could call to assess the damage. I should probably run diagnostics before I jump to drastic measures, however. I haven't tried turning it off yet.

_I beg your pardon? You're writing gibberish again._

—

10-29-2004

I haven't seen Daniel in days.

_You haven't seen him in months._

—

10-30-2004

I like these dreams. Let's keep these ones cycling.

_Don't do this to yourself, Vlad. _

—

10-31-2004

—

11-1-2004

—

11-2-2004

It's so rare to be able to go to a warm, summers beach in October! But Vlad Masters is a man of infinite power and he can do whatever he wants. I took Maddie and Daniel down to a beach today. We frolicked a little and had a small water fight, typical family things, and then Daniel begged and begged until I allowed him to ride upon my shoulders. He's a little large to be riding on his fathers shoulders now, but being that his birthday is in a few days, I thought I'd give him a bit of a joy ride. We played a couple of rounds of volleyball before lunch (Daniel and Maddie won despite my best efforts), before having a quick meal at a nearby sandwich stand. Maddie is very fond of avocado.

_We're into Nov_

_Never mind. Little point in correcting you. _

—

11-3-2004

It's going to be Daniel's first day of primary school soon. He's such a clingy little boy. He'll probably beg and whine to have me remain with him throughout the day, but I mustn't let me the pleas get to me. Fortunately Maddie will be there to give me a kick in the spine if I start to waver.

—

11-5-2004

I'm so nervous. I'm going to propose to Maddie today. We've been together three years, but I'm still not yet sure if that's a long enough time to justify a marriage proposal. I guess we'll just have to wait and see? Alright. Alright. Take a deep breath, Vladimir, and go for it.

—

11-8-2004

I can't believe that woman! Still hunting ghosts and constructing equipment when I explicitly told her not to! Doesn't she know I worry for her? Ever since the portal accident, I haven't been able to stand the thought of her suffering the same fate as I, or any fate in particular, honestly. I don't know if I could live without her.

—

11-9-2004

Daniel's first birthday. He's such a little wiggler, always cycling his legs and stretching his little arms towards mommy and daddy. Likes to grab at my fingers when I dip them into the crib, too. He seems more interested in them than he does the numerous (and very expensive, I might add) toys I've purchased him, but it's so very endearing. I love my little boy, my little Daniel.

—

11-12-2004

_None of those things happened. You need to get up. You can't spend all day lying in bed. You've been soiling the quilts._

I'm going to fly my family to England next year. Daniel would just love the Haunted Mansion and Wax Museum they have over there.

—

11-13-2004

—

11-15-2004

I consulted Plasmius for advice, asked what he thought of visiting Disney Land during the busiest season. Wasn't very keen on the idea, but I think I'll take them anyway. I should be able to pay my way to the front of the lines.

—

11-16-2004

I'm so happy.

—

11-17-2004

Madeline certainly was risque in bed tonight! That woman knows how to make a man sweat.

—

11-18-2004

I've been teaching Daniel how to play football. He's getting quite good at it! Able to kick the ball fairly far and catch it without flinching half of the time. I still flinch all the time, mind, so I'm not one to speak. He tells me he's interested in signing up for official lessons, but only after Pa has taught him the basics. Sweet little boy, always taking my feelings into consideration. Most children around this age are selfish, but not my little Daniel. I've taught him better than that.

I'd better go check how much of a mess he's made in the bathroom.

—

11-19-2004

I'm teaching Maddie how to bake my very favorite dessert.

—

11-24-2004

How long was I asleep for?

_Even I don't know. You were silent for days. _

—

11-25-2004

Daniel hasn't come home from school yet. Could you pick him up for me, Plasmius? I'll give you the limo keys. Just wait on the curb a few blocks down. He'll be able to find you.

_None of this is happening. None of this is happening. None of this is happening._

—

11-26-2004

Maddie left the oven on. Silly girl.

_Ah, that's right. We still have to select a new one of those. I've done a little browsing and I'm going to settle for white. How does that sound, Vladimir?_

I thought you wanted the black one, Maddie. You know I can easily acquire that for you.

—

11-28-2004

You don't talk to me as much as you used to, Maddie.

_I'm trying to find a way to fix this. _

—

11-29-2004

Teenagers are unpleasantly distant. I almost wish Daniel hadn't grown up.

How do I reconnect with him? What do you think, Plasmius?

_So I'm Plasmius again?_

Good idea. I'll try that.

—

11-30-2004

How did all this string get in here?

_What string?_

—

11-31-2004

I can't focus. Something is wrong but I can't figure out what.

_You've been hallucinating and speaking in gibberish for going on two months now. Memorize this, it'll provide you with some leverage: Maddie and Daniel are not your wife and child. They're the wife and child of Jack Fenton. You were spurned by them several months ago and I charitably helped you overcome your despondency. However, I was unable to predict this abrupt downward spiral, and now here we are._

What a load of bollocks.

—

12-1-2004

_None of it is real. _

I don't like the tone of your voice, Plasmius.

_We're communicating through TEXT._

_—_

12-1-2004

You have such beautiful skin.

–

12-2-2004

Isn't May a little early for Christmas sales? I do love myself a commercialist holiday, but really.

—

12-3-2004

Three lots of eggnog for twenty dollars.

—

12-4-2004

It was sort of like a 'plop' when I removed it.

_No context? Of course no context. _

—

12-7-2004

hh

—

12-8-2004

Why did you do that, Plasmius? Why are you angry? Feel free to yell at me, but not in front of Daniel.

_NONE OF IT IS REAL. THAT ISN'T YOUR LIFE. IT'S JACK FENTON'S._

—

_Stop crying. _

—

_Am I going to have to start caring for you like an invalid? Because you seem to have lost the ability to perform simple bodily maintenance tasks, such as showering and eating. _

I can't shower, there's a face in the drain that keeps on moaning. It watches me when I remove my clothes.

—

I feel like I'm missing something important. It can't be my car keys, I have those on me. My wallets here too. What am I missing?

_Lucidity._

—

You're really offensive, Plasmius. You're off the Christmas card list this year.

_Oh thank God, you finally figured out the month._

—

There goes a fingernail.

—

Maddie and I have yet to go Christmas shopping. I'm going to be buying Daniel a variety of model spacecraft's and one of those planes you can fly. I don't want to over-spoil him, though I have the money to do so. Or at least, Maddie doesn't want to spoil him, and she's the one who wears the pants in this relationship, so…

I left all that hair in the sink. It's turned all glutinous.

—

12-19-2004

_You just sat in the middle of your lounge room and wrote 'from Vlad' on a pack of a hundred cards. Do you even know who the recipients will be? Rhetorical question. Don't answer it. I don't want to hear the answer._

To Maddie, Daniel, Plasmius, Jasmine, Rose, Henry, Tom

_We never met a Henry or Tom._

—

_I thought I was off your Christmas card list?_

When did I say that?

—

You're going to love what I brought you.

_I saw you take a piece of your Packer's memorabilia off the wall and wrap it. And not very well at that. _

It was one of my most prized pieces, just for you.

—

12-

Could you suspend the Christmas tree for me?

_I haven't the slightest idea where you got it, or how you got it inside, but fine. _

—

Merry Christmas to you, Merry Christmas to you, Merry Christmas dear Plasmius, Merry Christmas to you

Here's a Santa's hat I put aside for you

_I really wish you would cease offering me things that don't exist._

—

I threw out lots of books today, they had the wrong year on them.

—

Do you think Daniel will be able to come home from college for Christmas? We have an entire month before we need his answer, at least.

_It's nearly New Years day, actually._

—

1/2/2005

_You're lying in bed again._

I'm thinking about what New Years resolutions to announce during dinner.

_It's a little late for that. We've passed New Years day._

—

1/3/2005

I think I'm going to get help this year. There's something wrong with me, I know it. I just can't figure out what.

_You don't have to do anything, Vladimir. Give me more time. We can worth though this rough patch, like we have in the past._

But I really think we need a relationship counselor this time, Maddie.

—

There's something wrong with me. I can't find Maddie. There's something wrong with me.

—

Everything will be better soon.

—

_God damn it, Vlad, I can hear you sobbing back there. It's your fault we're in this predicament. You were the one who bit that mans hand, and now it's on national television. We have to run, we have no choice. _

Please, I don't want to go, I don't want to leave my family

_THEY DON'T EXIST DON'T EXIST DON'T EXIST DON'T EXIST DON'T EXIST DON'T EXIST DON'T EXIST DON'T EXIST DON'T EXI_.._

—

Danny watched Vlad, unconscious to the world, as he was dragged by two bulky figures into the back of an ambulance. There hadn't been much of a fight involved in subduing him. Vlad had thrown a few feeble hits, before reverting back to his human form mid-punch and consequently being knocked out cold by a well-aimed kick to the head. The police had thanked him, having been preparing to take Vlad in for questioning, and only then had Danny taken the time to really look at Vlad's heavily disheveled appearance. He seemed smaller, malnourished, with deeper black bags under his eyes and scarring around his throat, as if someone had messily attempted to tear through the flesh there. Guilty as it made him to allow Vlad to be taken away in such a state, he wasn't about to steal the man away before he was provided much-needed medical treatment.

He stood back, watching the ambulance shrink in the distance, until it took a turn and disappeared entirely.

As he moved to leave the scene, he noticed a Vlad's briefcase had flown open when dropped and the contents had become sprawled out over the concrete. Curious as he was, he flew down, sifted through the items, and made a hasty departure once he had what he wanted.

Namely, a phone, notepad, and a diary.


	4. Epilogue

It was still bizarre to see Vlad in pale blue scrubs and slippers every time he visited. Some days he had restraints attached to his clothes to prevent his outbursts from escalating into violence, other days he was allowed to move his limbs freely, provided he had supervision, and today was another one of those 'other days'.

Daniel sat across from him in the recreational room, keeping a reasonable distance between them. It may have been Vlad who lifted his head and smiled in greeting, but he was liable to be taken over by Plasmius at any given time. Though, fortunately, Danny had managed to subdue the man's ghost form with Fenton tech.

Vlad moved to pass a black crayon he had been writing with to a nearby observing nurse, and then slowly folded his piece of paper shut. Before it closed, Daniel spied the words 'is coming today' and 'we should' and swallowed uncomfortably at the implications, looking up at the elder man.

"So," he began, bringing his hands up onto the table. Folded and neat, so unlike himself. "Uh, progress on the equipment to separate you two is coming along." It was always awkward to initiate conversation with someone who so often fluctuated between being lucid and being wholly submerged in his 'Masters Family' fantasy.

"He won't be happy to hear that." There was no need to ask who 'he' was. "He doubts I'll be released even if you do separate us. He said I'm insane regardless of his presence inside of me."

At least Vlad didn't think he was his dad today. Danny always hated to have to remind Vlad they weren't related, because it was the only time the man ever seemed content.

"Uh… and what about you?" he asked. It was a fairly standard question in their conversations. Vlad always sought out Plasmius' words when giving an opinion. "What do you think?"

Vlad tapped the tips of his fingers together, uncontrollable fidgeting he only ever exhibited when talking to a Fenton. "I think I'm doing better. They're going to allow me to have a roommate soon. I've been evaluated and considered safe for certain residents to be around."

'Certain' residents. Probably the ones larger than him, and there were plenty of those in the facility.

"That's good," Danny said, nodding awkwardly. "I didn't think they'd allow that with Plasmius' track record…?"

Vlad shrugged. "He's been quieter recently. Probably planning something to put us back in solitary confinement. Last time he fell into a silence, he'd taken someone's shoelaces and—"

Danny threw up his hands to forestall the tale. "Whao, no need to get descriptive! I can guess what happened."

Vlad gave an apologetic nod, somehow managing to make Daniel feel as if he was being looked up at despite their vast difference in height. "Right, I… do forget how sensitive you are, sometimes. Comparatively, anyway."

"It— it's okay." He didn't like it when Vlad looked at him like that, like an old dog staring past the bars of an abusive home. He swallowed thickly, turning his face to the table. Fourteen was too young to know how to respond to such desperation. "I want to have a word with Plasmius before I leave, if that's okay?"

He didn't raise his head to see if his request visibly hurt Vlad.

There was a gentle 'crick'ing sound, a neck being pulled taut, and then he could practically feel Plasmius' eyes regarding him with intense loathing. "What is it, little ghost boy? You've chosen a terrible day to initiate conversation with me." As he looked up, he saw wiggling fingers, unrestrained and free to inflict harm if Plasmius so desired.

As he was among groups of people, there was no way Danny could use his powers to protect himself here. He pressed his chair back as a precaution.

"I read the diary." He examined Plasmius' expression for any hints of anger before he continued, "…Right, so I read the diary, and I just… I still don't get your motive for doing everything you did. You said you lov—"

Plasmius' hands jerked into fists, and Danny reconsidered the phrasing of his inquiry. "Uh, I mean, I can't tell when you're lying and when you're telling the truth, so I — I was wondering if you could clear that up for me?"

"Why should I?" Plasmius asked, which wasn't exactly unexpected.

"Don't you want someone to know what your real intentions were?" Even if they were bound to be heavily, heavily sugar-coated to put Plasmius in a better light. He frequently made Vlad out to be the guilty party in conversation.

Plasmius' reply didn't come until Danny's nerves were beginning split, his heels raising off the ground in preparation to run. "He couldn't tell the difference between my lies and truths, either." Plasmius folded his arms and leaned into the back of his chair, smiling broadly. The nurse in charge of him looked to be rapidly recording his activity, leaning in to eavesdrop on their exchange. "Almost everything I said that he didn't call out as a lie was true. I did care, and I did want to help him change."

He turned to the nurse, glaring at her until she shrank back a few steps. A safe distance for their conversation to enter 'halfa' territory. "He had a problem. I spent twenty years listening to that problem, listening to him regurgitate how much he loved Maddie over and over again, even when he had cut himself off from her life. Twenty years later, I was still listening to him mourn 'what was meant to be', so when my efforts to breach his consciousness finally succeeded…" He shrugged a shoulder, looking to Danny for commentary.

Danny had to tread carefully if he wanted Plasmius to divulge the entire story. "You… planted a diary for him to write in?"

"Noooo," Plasmius hissed. "I planted his old diary at his desk to kick him into gear, and _then_ I had him start writing in a new diary. I knew he would, I'd pretty much memorized his thought patterns by then."

"And how it ended…?"

"Not what I wanted. He was meant to break, but not like this. I wanted us – I wanted him to be happy, and he was never going to be happy if I didn't break him into little pieces and reconstruct him like a jigsaw first." A heaving sigh. "Certainly, there would have been remnants left behind, but nothing he couldn't function without. I never thought the situation would turn into something that would slip through my fingers when I tried to take the reins."

He leaned forwards, on his elbows, closing in on Danny's personal space. "One day, I woke up lying in the bathroom on my back. Now, this wasn't unusual, because I'd indulged in alcohol frequently during my first days of control. But I was more than a little surprised when I realized I was lying in a pool of my own blood." There was audible regret in his voice, his pinched expression softening. "I realized then I had pressed too hard. I'd snapped something in him I couldn't glue back together, no matter how hard I tried and how much I wanted it. He had been resilient before this, so I had never thought…" There was a moment of silence. "I merely wanted to fix him, Daniel, and I still think I can. You're going to ruin him if you take me away; I'm the only stabilizing force he has left."

It took considerable effort not to challenge Plasmius' perception of his relationship with Vlad. To provoke a violent response would be disastrous, and not just for himself.

"Thanks," Danny ground out, dipping his head low to hide a clenched jaw. "Could I speak to Vlad?"

"Of course, but first…" The other man was squeezing in further, hips against the table. So close Daniel could almost feel his breath, and the nurse overlooking them was visibly a hairsbreadth from calling for help. "Your ghost half could breach your consciousness one day as well, little one. Be sure you treat him right."

Crick.

Distress curdled in Danny's stomach.

"Was it an informative conversation?" asked Vlad's calmer, softer voice. Danny watched him drop back into his seat with a forced smile.

"Yeah. Yeah, it was." He started to push up from the table. "I just wanted to say goodbye to you properly before I left."

"Oh." Vlad followed suit, pushing himself out of his seat with his arms lifted, hands extended as if he were preparing to give Daniel a departing hug, before he quietly descended back into his chair and curled his arms against his sides. "Not mine, not mine," he murmured to himself, turning his head up at Danny and raising a hand in a wave. "Until a later time."

"Y-yeah," Danny stuttered, smile faltering. "I'll see you next week."

Barely able to resist the urge to intangibly escape the building, Danny sped past Vlad just as the man unfurled his paper and gestured to have his crayon returned.

–

_They're wrong to even think about taking me from you, Vladimir, but don't you fret; I've devised a plan to get us out of here. All you need to do is be quiet for me during the extraction._

_Don't be afraid of what's coming. Hold onto me, and I'll take care of you. _

_I'm going to fix everything._


End file.
